Be strong in the Lord

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. –Ephesians 6:10

I played a game as a child, and I am sure it was around for my parents and a few generations before that. It works because one person (the seeker) stands in a designated spot and counts to an agreed-upon number while the others (the hiders) disperse to unknown locations. Once the seeker reaches the number, they shout, “Ready or not, here I come.” Then the seeker would roam about trying to find the hiders, and at the same time, the hiders try to avoid the seeker and make their way back to an established safe zone.

As I have grown older, I have learned another phrase similar to the one the seeker announces in the game of hide-and-seek. A pastor of mine once said, “If you live long enough, life will happen.” You may have heard another saying, “When it rains, it pours.” Well enough for catchphrases, but have you ever experienced a “ready or not here I come” period? A time when you are confronted with past fears that you thought were defeated. When you are being attacked from all sides with precision designed to destroy you, regardless of how long you have been saved or the level of faith you have obtained, we will encounter trials and tribulations that will push us to the brink.

During these times, our adversary would like nothing more than for us to crumble under pressure and give in to defeat. The weight of our test knows how to cause the maximum amount of torment in our minds. Instead of constant stress, it will relent briefly, giving us a false sense of relief before it again engages the attack. In these moments, we more accurately gauge that we have very little strength. We understand we will have no victory unless God moves in our situation. But when we look at the Word of God, we find that we can be strong, but to be strong, we must do it in the name of the Lord and the power of His might. Power is “the ability to do something or act in a particular way,” and might is “great and impressive power or strength.” So we can be strong because we have God’s great and impressive power to assist us.

So I encourage you to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might on this day. Remember that you do not need to empower yourself to stand against the attacks of Satan on your life. Your only responsibility is to trust in the Lord, submit to him, and allow his strength to give you victory. You can enter him as your safe zone, just like the hiders in that childhood game of hide-and-seek.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. –Proverbs 18:10